The government has admitted that the rising electricity tariffs coupled with high airfreight charges are impacting negatively on horticulture growth in the country.
To this end, the State promised that it would engage stakeholders in the airline, electricity and farming sectors to review the current prices.
This came as farmers challenged the government to review electricity tariffs terming the current charges as the highest in the region.
According to Labor CS Florence Bore, the floriculture sector was critical to the county’s economy due to the foreign exchange and employment generated.
Bore admitted that the high cost of electricity and airfreight charges were major challenges that the government was keen to address.
Speaking after visiting Naivasha-based Van-Den-Berg Roses, Bore said that she would raise the issue with the President, following requests by flower farmers.
“This is a listening government and we shall make sure that we look into the issues of the high cost of cargo charges and the rising electricity tariffs,” she said on Friday.
While praising the farm that has over 1,000 workers, the CS added that the ministry would operationalise the Wages Council to deal with issues of salary increment and working conditions.
“For years Labour Day has been conducted in Nairobi and it was time the ceremony was devolved to counties so that we can get to know workers' challenges,” she said.
On his part, the CEO Agricultural Employers Association (AEA) Wesley Siele said that airfreight charges had doubled since the outbreak of the pandemic.
He noted that though some farmers were now opting to use sea freight to export their flowers, this too had its complications.
“Since the outbreak of the pandemic, cargo charges have never stabilized and have risen from 1.5 to 2.9 Euros per kilo which is too expensive for farmers,” he said.
Siele at the same time called for a review of electricity tariffs adding that this was affecting production in the country which accounted for 40 percent of flowers in the EU market.
The Human Resource manager of Van-Den-Berg George Onyango said that farmers exporting their produce to the EU had to adhere to set standards from the government and the consumers.
“This farm is Fair-Trade certified and despite various challenges facing the sector, we are keen to make sure that the workers' plight and remuneration are addressed,” he said.
Others who spoke were the Commissioner for Labor Hellen Opiyo who said that a lot had been achieved in the country with cases of industrial strikes dropping sharply.
